


Partners

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-21
Updated: 2013-10-21
Packaged: 2017-12-30 01:56:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1012655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Partners do things together - whatever those things are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partners

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sentinel Thursday

"How about a camping trip this weekend?" Jim asked. "You are free, aren't you?"

Blair frowned slightly. "I might not be," he said. "Nothing's been positively decided yet, but there's an anthropology exhibition to be set up at the Museum over the weekend, and three of the TAs will have to... er, help; we just haven't been told yet which ones it'll be. Dr. Forrester is notorious for waiting until the last minute to give assignments, and if you have something else planned, tough, especially if it's something you've already paid for and won't get your money back - he expects you to drop everything else once he gives you something to do. If you don't, he accuses you of being lazy, not really interested, and anything like that, his adverse report on your conscientiousness is permanently in your record. One of the other TAs said once that even if you were in your coffin en route to the cemetery when he decided you were the person to do something for him, he'd expect you to be there on time to do it, and he wouldn't take 'being dead' as a valid excuse. So I can't commit to being free - knowing it's possible that I'll be called on, I daren't go anywhere, because he really wouldn't accept not being able to contact me as a reasonable excuse. I don't think he'd accept it even if his phone connection was down and he couldn't use it to contact me."

"Sounds like a real nice guy," Jim said drily.

"He has the authority," Blair said. "He has the power to make life hell for anyone he thinks isn't dedicated enough to... well, to consider anthropology the be-all and end-all of existence."

"And the attitude that 'might makes right'?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure what he'd do if someone he wanted to do something was already doing something for Dr. Oldham - he's head of the anthropology department - but I'd guess he'd probably expect whoever it was to manage both jobs."

Jim shook his head. "And the TAs who set the thing up? They don't even get a 'thank you' and he takes all the credit?" From the look on Blair's face he knew he'd called it correctly.

"At least they get the experience of doing it, which can only help their future careers. As well as getting an object lesson on why the boss shouldn't be an obnoxious, inconsiderate asshole."

"All right," Jim said. "We don't need to make any definite plans. If he doesn't call on you, we go fishing. If he does call, we go along to the museum - "

"We?"

Jim grinned. "There'll be stuff to carry, right? You take your big ex-military cop friend along to provide some muscle, it might make him think twice about this last-minute thing - not just for you, for everyone."

"Just don't terrorise him to the point that he give me a bad report."

"Terrorise him? Me? I'll just be my usual - "

" - subtly menacing - "

" - charming self." Jim ignored Blair's muttered adjective. "I'll just hint that any time he calls you like that to do something, I'll be with you. It's not as if you'll get any credit for it, and I really doubt you need the experience."

"Well, no - I've set up a fair number of displays over the years - "

"So with luck he'll decide never to call on you again."

"Or he might decide that having some muscle along is worth putting up with the attitude."

Jim grinned. "If he does, at least we'll be hanging out together over the weekend, and I'll be learning a bit more about your world."

Blair looked at him, speechless - but the look in his eyes spoke volumes, and Jim had no difficulty in reading what his friend couldn't put into words. "We're partners," he told Blair. "Partners do things together - whatever those things are."


End file.
